A number of conventionally prepared food items, for example, cappuccino, milk shakes, and certain soups, desirably include froth or foam. In order to accommodate an increasing demand for the convenience of consumer prepared instant food alternatives, manufactures have developed a variety of instant food products which give consumers the food products they desire from a convenient instant food product having the same or similar characteristics as conventionally prepared food items. One challenge for manufacturers is how to produce an instant food product having a desirable froth or foam.
One technique used to manufacture an instant food product with foam is through the use of powdered foaming compositions that produce foam upon reconstitution in a liquid. Foaming powder compositions have been used to impart froth or foamed texture to a wide variety of foods and beverages. For example, foaming compositions have been used to impart froth or foamed texture to instant cappuccino and other coffee mixes, instant refreshing beverage mixes, instant soup mixes, instant milkshake mixes, instant dessert toppings, instant sauces, hot or cold cereals, and the like, when combined with water, milk, or other suitable liquid.
Some examples of gas-injected foaming creamers which can be used to impart foam or froth are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,438,147 and in EP 0 458 310. More recently, U.S. Pat. No. 6,129,943 discloses a foaming creamer produced by combining a gasified carbohydrate with protein and lipid. Using this technology, it was possible to eliminate gas injection of the liquid creamer composition prior to spray drying.
EP 0 813 815 B1 discloses a foaming creamer composition which is either a gas-injected foaming creamer or a creamer containing chemical carbonation ingredients which contains in excess of 20% protein by weight. The powder described has, as essential ingredients, protein, lipid and filler material, the filler especially being a water-soluble carbohydrate. The high content of protein is needed to obtain a whipped cream-like, tight foam having spoonability.
Another foaming composition is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,713,113 which discloses a powdered soluble foaming ingredient comprising a matrix containing carbohydrate, protein, and entrapped pressurized gas. However, powdered ingredients containing both carbohydrate and protein are susceptible to nonoxidative browning reactions that can adversely affect the appearance, flavor, and shelf life of packaged food products. These complex chemical reactions occur between proteins and carbohydrates, especially reducing sugars, to form polymeric pigments that can severely discolor and diminish the flavor quality of food products. U.S. Patent App. Publication Nos. 2006/0040033 and 2006/0040034 describe non-carbohydrate foaming compositions and non-protein foaming compositions, respectively, which provide resistance to undesirable browning and impaired flavor quality.
Disadvantages of existing foaming compositions and the manufacturing methods thereof include the relatively long processing times required to introduce the gas into the structure of the foaming composition and the high raw material costs resulting from wasted gas and other materials. Thus, there remains a need for foaming compositions for use in instant food and beverage products that exhibit desirable foaming characteristics upon reconstitution and that may be prepared by methods that desirably reduce processing times and raw material costs. The present invention provides these and other benefits, as will be apparent from the following description of embodiments of the present invention.